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Garmin 378! Now we're talking!

You could introduce me to something to ATTACH that line to on the 378. My E-map has a handy little lanyard attachment (don't ask why I wasn't using it when I dropped it :oops: ) but this very expensive unit doesn't have one. Go figure.
 
Yeah ... on the 2610, people were using the CF card door to loop the lanyard around. I haven't found a good place to attach to on the 2730 either.

Hmm ... could always superglue or otherwise ghetto rig the line to the GPS ... :-D
 
I have the 276c with a 512 mb card. I attached it with the Touratech dual sport mount. Run a power cord back to the battery. Fantastic GPS so far. I really like it. I do have one nit to pick... if you deviate from the course it thinks you should navigate, it keeps trying to get you to turn back. Saturday I actually pulled over, turned the unit off, then turned it back on to show it who was boss. After that it rerouted to the course I was taking anyway.
 
Hmm, I'm beginning to regret getting this unit. The display is great but unfortunately it doesn't work so well in the car. The Street Pilot series are much better. The touchscreen just makes life so much easier. With the 378, I've come to realize that I'd best pull over to do address searches or any type that requires entering alpha numeric characters. The keypad on these marine units is just too difficult to deal with while driving. It becomes too dangerous because it takes too much concentration away from driving. I guess it's asking too much for one unit to have all the best features. :roll:
 
I am looking at the Quest which Wal Mart has for $330, I found a less expensive one on ebay for $279.
Then I am also thinking the GPSV reconditioned with the latest city maps for $149 would work as well.

Yep the color screen and extra memory would be nice, load topo maps:trust:
But I drive a Voyager and wouldn't b/w and street maps be enough!
:confused:
Question: When you have the latest version of City Select is it truly detailed as to show those county roads I so do enjoy?
Well it hold the full load or am I only able to load just portions or those states I may be riding in?
 
I do have one nit to pick...

:tab You can turn off the auto-reroute. I agree that it is annoying when it is on.

When you have the latest version of City Select is it truly detailed as to show those county roads I so do enjoy?

:tab I have found City Select to have very good detail. Every now and then, it will show two roads not connecting (each looking like dead ends) but the Topo maps show them connecting. More often than not the City Select is correct. The downside is that City Select won't display the little roads unless you are zoomed down to about 1/2 mile scale. Whereas, the Topo maps will display the roads starting at about 3 mi scale. So with City Select, you are looking at a much smaller area when you can see the roads and that can make it hard to figure out where the roads go and where you want to go. It is easier to get the big picture with the Topo. I load the maps for both City Select AND Topo when I head out to explore. You can easily toggle between the maps. Having the larger display screen on the 276 as compared to the 60 would be very nice!
 
On the 276 you can select what detail level shows up at what zoom level to some degree too.

Mine has fallen off 2-3 times on my KTM, as I lost the key to my touratech mount and removed the lock which is what holds it shut. Fortunately it hung down beside the tank by the cable until I could get stopped and after the 3rd time I zip ties the mount closed where the lock used to be. I guess I should just buy a new lock for it someday. :)

I wouldn't mind a touch screen on a street bike or in the car, but not a dual sport, I'm sure I would have destroyed the screen by now with all the grit and dust, I've almost worn out my 276 screen just from cleaning the dust/grime off it when it got so thick I couldn't read it.

BTW I think the 276 has a facility for a depth sounder in the marine side of it somewhere. Something about a man overboard feature too I saw in the manual. :)
 
I have never wanted a GPS, and still don't BUT I do want that XM weather radar. I've been waiting for that. I pretty much know there isn't but Oh, what the hey - Is there a product that just has the weather radar and the xm radio ? Or a (much ) cheaper GPS with a color screen that has those two features but maybe is less sophisticated GPS-wise? Thanks, Tom
 
Well, the weather overlay wouldn't do you much good without something to OVERLAY on. ;-) The cheapest unit that can do it is the 376C which is still around $750. Of course you'll have to pay $29 a month for the XM weather service.
 
Agreed Albie. Maybe y'all can help with some suggestions.

I have looked at a lot more GPS units over the last day or two and I know some of those features are great that they want you to pay for but I have zero interest in talking routes and auto reroute and ...well, most of that stuff. What I do want would function primarily as a moving map, and have the U.S. already in down to county roads at least (or super easily added. Think "idiot-proof".)

I 'd really like to start cheap to see if I'd use it but my two friends with smaller handheld units are basically worthless (LOL). I am MUCH faster and more accurate (at finding the best twisty way ) with my State Atlas for each state and since all my bikes have saddlebags....(I just insert the atlas into my jacket. At stops , I can pull it out and look at it while they fumble with there little bitty buttons.) I have found that only their accurate speedometer feature, altimiter, and sometimes compass adds much to our rides in the backroads of the West.

We don't do serious dirt anymore but plenty of unpaved roads connecting scenic route A to scenic route B all over the 4 corners states, but we are rarely on primary roads either (2% interstate at most and only if neccessary). We ride for the twisties.

So I started looking around E-bay. I don't really care about latest and greatest, and some of the units that used to be a grand 4 years ago can be picked up quite cheap. Street Pilot III Deluxe, and even the occasional 2610. I think I want a larger display and I'll never use it off a bike but would transfer it bike to bike. I agree with the previous poster that a dusty road would kill a touch screen but is that why I see rain/dust covers on some?

I'm now to a point I'm thoroughly confused but a couple hundred bucks for a large display unit with 4 year old technology might serve my purpose as well as a $600 new unit and I ain't spending any more than that :eek:. And suggestions? I have a BMW GS and an LT that I would use it on. Thanks in advance for taking pity on a veteran rider but toatl electronics newbie.

I guess in a perfect world it would have great detail for the whole U.S., be waterproof, have a big display that was easy to change scale and displayed a moving map that was legible while riding slow or stopped.

Does that sound doable?
 
First off, for me, a GPS is not a replacement for paper maps. It augments them. I mostly use the GPS to follow pre-planned routes, and to find retaurants, gas stations, etc. near me.

The newer units have auto routing which is a great feature. Basically you can plug in an address and the unit will build you a route and you just folllow along. Great for when you need to find the nearest gas station, or BMW dealer while on a trip. Of course, if you want a unit that has all the detailed maps preloaded you're gonna have to spend more. One other way to go is to get a unit that uses cheap non proprietary memory, like the 2610. You can get a 2 Gig CF card which will hold the whole US mapset in it for $75 last I looked. Some of the units use SD memory as well. The large display sorta rules out units like the 60 and 76 C's as well as the Quest. Take a look at the Quest II, it has a smaller screen, but you might like it. If not, then the very least you'll want to go with one of the Street Pilots. Just stay away from the 2620 as it has a hard drive in it, doesn't work on bikes because of teh vibration.
 
"First off, for me, a GPS is not a replacement for paper maps. It augments them. I mostly use the GPS to follow pre-planned routes, and to find retaurants, gas stations, etc. near me."

Yeah, I'm the guy on the trip who spends hours each night (I don't sleep much) pouring over the maps and ultimately using a color hi-lighter (to separate this trip from previous) to show the routes that day, I then do the old style pen and ink :
FM 1637 10 mi. to R on Cr 373 (Gas)
12 miles to L on FM 123
19 miles to ??????.

Then I just tape that in a visible spot. Presto, a Fred Flinstone GPS.


It's worked for 3 decades so far. LOL. I just want to try something new, like you said , to augment and enhance my "mapping" experience. Thanks, Tom

P.S. Good catch on the 2620. (Whew.LOL. Glad I lost that bidding war.)
 
slowoldguy said:
I'm now to a point I'm thoroughly confused but a couple hundred bucks for a large display unit with 4 year old technology might serve my purpose as well as a $600 new unit and I ain't spending any more than that . And suggestions? I have a BMW GS and an LT that I would use it on. Thanks in advance for taking pity on a veteran rider but toatl electronics newbie.

Until July 9th this is about the best deal going -

http://www.shipdog.com/product.asp?i=GARGPSMAP76CSX&ref=shopper&sku=010-00469-00

(I have never shopped here but this store is rated 5 stars from CNET)

Why July 9th?

http://www.garmin.com/whatsNew/currentpromotions/pdfs/gpsmap76cx.pdf

This unit has a suggested retail of $590 and the net price above after rebate is $337.

Here is the description from Garmin -

http://www.garmin.com/products/gpsmap76csx/

-
 
slowoldguy said:
I have never wanted a GPS, and still don't BUT I do want that XM weather radar. I've been waiting for that. I pretty much know there isn't but Oh, what the hey - Is there a product that just has the weather radar and the xm radio ? Or a (much ) cheaper GPS with a color screen that has those two features but maybe is less sophisticated GPS-wise? Thanks, Tom

I used to just go out and explore by paper map, not much of a planned route person more of a "I'll just mosey over thataway" guy.

A GPS for me is an ever present map down to county roads that is always turned to the page I'm on with a "you are here" arrow. :) An always correct clock and a very accurate speedo are included bonuses.

I download and use other folks routes when I am riding with them, but rarely make my own. GPS's will also automatically make the roll chart turns with mileage to each turn and display that instead of a map too, I have just never used it.

Beats keeping a map in my jacket pocket and looking at it every turn like I used to do by a long shot, and it even works in the pouring rain and snow and after being dunked in the creek when you fall in one.
 
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